Data load and throughput requirements placed on Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs) continue to increase. Some reasons for these increases include the ubiquitous use of cell phone technologies and the accelerated adoption of smart phones and tablets, with the data- and throughput-intensive services, such as streaming video, which these devices offer. Various multiple antenna techniques can be employed in WWAN environments to meet these increasing data and throughput demands with improved spectral efficiency.
For example, multiple antenna techniques can be used to achieve advantages such as diversity gain, array gain, and spatial multiplexing gain. Although some of these advantages have been realized by the implementation of multiple antenna techniques in wireless communication standards, large gains, indicated by the theoretical potential of various multiple antenna techniques, remain. Drawing on this untapped potential can provide one way of meeting increasing demands.
However, several obstacles exist to meeting increasing demands with theoretical gains from multiple antenna techniques. For example, barring the creation of an entirely new WWAN standard, implementation of new multiple antenna techniques takes place within the confines of existing WWAN standards. Implementation can involve meeting demands placed on new techniques imposed by existing wireless standards. Furthermore, implementation may involve working around existing infrastructure and limits imposed by existing standards. Therefore, harnessing gains from potential multiple antenna techniques requires innovation to determine multiple antenna techniques suitable to existing WWAN standards and to implement such techniques within those standards.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.